Within the next month, London’s restaurant scene will get spiced up with three new players and two rebrandings of successful establishments.

The Bourbon Street Cajun and Creole Kitchen is bringing a taste of The Big Easy to London.

The restaurant will serve up some Louisiana classics such as shrimp creole, po’ boy sandwiches, pecan pie and, of course, jambalaya.

The restaurant is the rebirth of a restaurant that Dominic Raso ran in Canmore, Alta., for 19 years.

Raso caught on to Cajun cooking during a trip to New Orleans and decided to bring the cuisine back to Canmore.

“There was nothing like in the area. It was a fantastic market,” he said.

Raso said the new venture is something of a homecoming for him. He is originally from Guelph and his wife is from London. And, like Canmore, Raso said the market for Cajun cooking in London is wide open.

Bourbon Street will feature an open kitchen and front and rear patios, he said. Raso also plans to offer live jazz and blues music and cooking classes.

The restaurant is in a new commercial building at 587 Oxford St. East near Adelaide constructed by London developer and former mayoralty candidate Arnon Kaplansky.

Bourbon Street is ready to go but has been held up waiting for city building inspectors to show up and provide the necessary approvals, Raso said.

The city is clearing up a backlog that developed during a two-month strike by inside workers that ended July 22.

BLACK WALNUT

Already well-rooted in Wortley Village, the Black Walnut is sprouting on Richmond Row.

The bakery cafe is opening a second location in a building at Richmond and Piccadilly streets, recently vacated by P. Za. Pie.

Extensive renovations, including a facelift for the patio, are underway, and the cafe should be open in a few weeks.

Co-owner Mandy Etheridge said the new location will allow installation of a coffee roastery to serve both locations.

Etheridge said her family has a lot of experience in the food business. Her father Wilson Etheridge has run catering and coffee shop businesses over the years.

Richmond Row and the Woodfield neighbourhood have a similar vibe to Wortley Vlllage and the new cafe should fit in well, Mandy Etheridge said.

THE DIRTY MARTINI

The Dirty Martini hopes to clean up in a prime location right across from Budweiser Gardens.

Renovations are underway in the former bank building at Dundas and Talbot Streets formerly occupied by Black Fly Beverages and the Villa Resto-Lounge. As with Bourbon Street, work has been held up by delays in building inspection.

Markham Rooza, a partner in the business, said The Dirty Martini will be a supper-club style restaurant with fine cuisine, including oysters and caviar.

The late-night tapas menu and the window that opens to the street will cater to the crowd spilling out of Budweiser events.

Rooza said the live music and the atmosphere will target women over 30.

“London has been missing a nice place where you can go any night of the week. It will be sexy, and the ladies will really like it,” said Rooza has helped launched a number on nightclubs in the London area.

T.O.O.K.

Since it was established eight years ago, The Only on King has earned a national reputation, featured in En Route magazine and Where to Eat in Canada.

Now, after an extensive renovation, it is being relaunched as T.O.O.K,. an acronym of The Only On King,

Chef and owner Paul Harding said the new incarnation will be more casual.

“I want our little spot to be an approachable and fun cultural hub for the city. A place you can come to see what’s going on in our community through delicious, playful food, drink and art,” Harding said.

The 30-seat eatery will now be open for lunch and include take-out options. The revamped menu will add more baked goods and smaller tapas-style portions — nothing on the menu will cost more than $20.

Harding enlisted the help of several local businesses and organizations in the relaunch including Miller & Co., Carve Branding and Design, Illbury + Goose and Sloane Stone Design.

THE BLACK GEORGE

Kantina Restaurant will soon be relaunched and renamed for its signature dish, The Black George.

The restaurant at 349 Talbot St. was opened in 2010 by Serbian native Miljan Karac.

Karac is completing renovation to give the establishment a fresh look. He’s also revamping the menu but signature east European dishes, such as the Black George, a tenderized veal loin with ham and kaymak, will still be there.